How do you feel about critiques in the Etsy forums?

[Alex Wrekk]

...cause I'm a bit scared. mainly I'm scared because I know that my idea of professional is different from most of them. So I'm afraid to even post anything there because the idea of defending my DIY ethics to people who are or want to so much to be "professional" in the traditional sense.

That being said, maybe we should do our own critiques.

[Emma Jane Falconer]

I have found them helpful for stuff selling my photos. They tend to not "get"zines. Like "what's that strange one with the graphic as the photo and what's it got to do with the other photo of bits of paper?". Prepare to be given loads of contradictory advice, too that bizarre things like your icon are scaring off hyper-sensitive buyers (I don't know who these hyper-sensitive shoppers who cannot bear to buy anything touched by the human hand, and are terrified by a photo of an owl as an icon). Some of the advice is really good though, and makes you go "doh, why haven't I been doing that since the start?". The critiques tend to be constructive criticism with a pleasant tone though, you don't get people dismissing everything you do it's more like "I think you should change x to y"

[Emma Jane Falconer]

Here's the terrifying owl for reference. It's scary like the bear and skeleton picture from Look Around You. Turn your children around now!

[Alex Wrekk]

The owl will eat your soul!

I guess I get some of their general critiques and I can read the forums on Etsy and pick up most of that stuff. But for the most part I feel that anything they tell me, especially about zines is going to be irrelevant to me because they are probably not my customers.

[Emma Jane Falconer]

Alex Wrekk said:

The owl will eat your soul!

I guess I get some of their general critiques and I can read the forums on Etsy and pick up most of that stuff. But for the most part I feel that anything they tell me, especially about zines is going to be irrelevant to me because they are probably not my customers.

Terrifying soul-eating 150 year old stuffed owl, at that!

[Made by Milla]

The owls are not what they seem...

I've never posted anything in the critiques because I know my photos are shockingly bad and I agree with Alex that I don't think the people in the critiques forum are really going to understand the world of zines. See how judgemental I am!

[Maranda Elizabeth]

I've never asked for my shop to be critiqued in the Etsy forums because A) I'm really bad at handling criticism, even of the constructive variety, B) Zine-wise, no one would get what the hell I was doing, and C) Any advice they have for my shop, I would likely not be able to implement anyway due to money and time issues, etc. I promote in the Etsy forums sometimes when I have knit things listed (which I do right now! Yay!), but honestly, not to sound horrible, but I don't really like the people in the forums.

Our own critiques would be nice, though. Like, if TeamZine could visit one another's shops...

[Alex Wrekk]

Hu? I understand the value of crits. I just don't think they are valid in the forms for people selling zines on Etsy. I doubt most of those people "get it".

Sunny said:

The context of the work is up to the artist in regard to how they publish, and distribute. The context is part of the work.
In a crit it helps to have some backround on context, it's meaning, other artist who have used something similar before. I guess what I'm saying is , once you understand it, then evaluate it by comparing it to criteria of the genre. If you don't think your qualified to do a crit, do a review. Describe, Interpret, Analyze, discuss.
Sunny

[Carissa Halston]

Maranda Elizabeth said:

Our own critiques would be nice, though. Like, if TeamZine could visit one another's shops...

I think that's a great idea.

[Robin Olson Mayberry]

Critiques are evil. Especially when it comes to INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING, people! I once received a zine in a swap that was a paper plate with some magazine images glue-sticked on. Was it my favorite zine? No. But did the creator of that zine express something from the heart? Was it an honest effort? Yes!

If I had gotten on some forum and Critiqued this paper plate, and had the creator read my critique, that person may never have made another zine. And that would be a shame. Because creativity deserves to find its place in the world without getting stamped by the shoe of some uptight "professional".

And for Alex Wrekk to be worried has me worried. Cause Alex, you're professional. AND freakin talented.